A Bitter Moral Pill To Swallow

The oral contraceptive is being prescribed to teen girls pretty regularly. While it is usually used for the most obvious reason, birth control, there are other reasons that the pill could be prescribed. Contraceptives have been known to help with irregular menstrual cycles, acne, or hormone replacement therapy.

There are, of course, side effects to the birth control pill that the doctor should advise a teenage girl about before taking the pill. Mood changes, spotting between periods, nausea and headaches are just a few things. However, if the doctor is doing their job, this should be discussed before prescribing the pill.

While we are quick to jump to the 'pregnancy prevention' reason for birth control being used, nowadays, there are other reasons why the pill is being prescribed. Also, in most states, if a girl is over the age of 13, they are not required to have parental consent or knowledge of their medical history on this particular type of medication. This means that the parent doesn't have a say and doesn't have to know that their child is being prescribed or taking the pill.

I would like to think that most girls could go to their parents about this type of thing, but that's not really the case. I know when I told my mother I was sexually active at the age of 15, she put me on the pill. She told me she would rather me be safe than sorry. My sister got pregnant at the age of 15 and now at the age of 19, she has two young children. If she had been on birth control, this may not have happened. We all know - teenagers are going to make their own mistakes and they are going to do it their way. Until we get older, we think we all know best.

Regardless of your stance on teenage pregnancy and birth control, its happening. At an alarming rate, girls are getting pregnant at younger ages and more frequently. Its also been recorded that if a young girl has one child at a young age, they are likely to get pregnant again within the next 3-5 years. Which was the case with my younger sister. I am personally an advocate of putting teen girls on birth control, because no amount of rules or talking will stop a teenager from doing what you don't want them to do. They have to learn on their own.

Having an open dialogue with your teenager is the best way to prevent teen pregnancy. If your teen feels that they can come to you with their issues, they are more likely to be receptive to your advice and your suggestions. They are more likely to think before they act on things. My mother was very open with me about sex. We didn't have the 'birds and the bees' talk, but when I started being sexually active, she took me to the clinic and she talked to me about the repercussions of having sex at a young age.

Not to say this always works, my sister and I have the same mother, and obviously, my sister was a little less lucky in the fertility department than I was. She also refused to take the birth control because she had to pay for it out of her own money. Our situations were similar, she just thought it wouldn't happen to her. That's what most teens think.

ABC aired an episode of "What Would You Do?" that I found incredibly interesting. It brought up the issue of pharmacists not filling prescriptions for teen girls. The clip is included in this hub for your viewing pleasure. Think about your own kid and what you would do.

I know what I would have done. I have been in that situation. I have never had a pharmacist refuse to fill my prescription, but I know the embarrassment of having to walk up to the counter and get your birth control filled. Its already a stressful situation. In this clip, the pharmacist makes the assumption that most people do. This young girl is using birth control as a license to go out and have sex with her boyfriend. He doesn't question why she might be on it and frankly, I would think it was none of his business.

I have an opinion, you have an opinion - and frankly whatever is right for either of us, may not be right for someone else. No matter your religion, your ethics code, your moral standing on this issue - we all need to remember that the United States if a melting pot of people. Everyone with their own views on many different issues.

I don't believe a pharmacist has a right to make a judgement about a person's reason for birth control. As stated before, there are many reasons this girl may be filling this prescription. Should a pharmacist be able to refuse to fill a prescription? I am firmly against the refusal of the pharmacist. He doesn't know this girl, he doesn't know the circumstances. He's not a pharmacist to judge another person, he is there to fill prescriptions, as prescribed by the doctor.

In a world where there are so many unwanted children - to bring a child into the world when you are not ready or not stable enough to care for them - is not acceptable to me. Whether this girl had acne or was protecting herself from pregnancy, is no one's business but her own.